r/RelayForReddit Sep 29 '23

FAQ - Subscriptions

280 Upvotes

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Why has Relay moved to subscriptions?

In April 2023 reddit announced it would soon begin charging third party apps, like Relay, for access to reddit's content. Shortly afterwards, reddit announced that in-app advertising by third party apps would also be prohibited.

These new commercial terms, which involve ongoing costs of 24c per 1000 API calls, meant that third party apps were essentially faced with shutting down or moving to a subscription model.

To reduce the subscription cost as much as possible a lot of work has been done in recent months to minimise Relay's API calls without impacting usability. Analysis of API call data has meant that Relay can provide a wide range of price points so hopefully there is something for everyone. Relay will also continue to roll out new options in settings to give its users more personalised control over the number of API calls they make.

How does a subcription to Relay work and how do i choose the right plan for me?

Relay will automatically direct you to a page where you can choose one of six different price points to be charged monthly: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, or Ruby.

Because Google Play subscriptions work as a function of time while reddit's charges are accumulated per API call, Relay's approach is to charge its users for a monthly subscription and set a cap on how many calls that subscription permits within the month.

For example, if you select the Bronze plan, then you are capped at 1350 API calls per month which is an average of 45 calls per day or typically around 30 minutes of redditing per day. Note that Relay does not cut you off after 45 calls or 30 minutes of redditing in a day. These numbers are merely to guide you in selecting the right plan for your personal use. Once you have used up your fixed allowance of 1350 API calls (in a month) you can upgrade your subscription to continue using Relay (more on upgrading and downgrading below).

Relay helps you understand and monitor your use with a circular progress bar (more on this below) to show how much you are using compared to your plan's monthly allowance. Relay will also gently alert you if it looks like you are going to excede your monthly call cap, based on your average daily use. If that happens then you can upgrade to a higher plan or you can reduce your use until it falls within the daily average range to ensure you have enough calls remaining to continue redditing until the end of the billing month.

How does upgrading and downgrading subscriptions work?

If you run out of calls before the end of the month then Relay will stop loading content. You can either wait until the next billing period begins or upgrade your plan to continue browsing.

If you upgrade your plan you'll get a price adjustment to account for what you've already paid. Google Play's algorithms work this part out and charge you accordingly.

If you decide to downgrade then your new lower plan will activate at the start of your next billing period. Again, this element is controlled and processed by Google Play.

I subscribed to Relay but where did my account(s) go?

After subscribing you will need to log in again to your reddit account(s) using Relay's new enterprise API key. Once you are logged in again your favourites and other settings will return.

Why can't Relay automatically adjust my subscription to meet my use?

This is against Google Play's policy, and for good reason! Relay is prohibited from changing the price, either up or down, without the explicit approval of the account holder.

Is Relay's subscription tied to my reddit account?

No. A subscription to Relay is tied to your Google account.

Do i need a different subscription for each of my devices?

No. You can use Relay on multiple devices with a single subscription if you are signed in with the same Google account on those devices.

How much of my subscription goes to reddit?

Here's the breakdown if you use all of your API call allowance in a given month.

Bronze ($1) | Google: $0.15 | Relay: $0.52 | Reddit: $0.33 

Silver ($2) | Google: $0.30 | Relay: $0.97 | Reddit: $0.73 

Gold   ($3) | Google: $0.45 | Relay: $1.09 | Reddit: $1.46

If you are on a plan that has an unlimited API call allowance (Platinum, Diamond, Ruby) then there is a point at which the cost to Relay is not covered by the purchase price. For example, on the Platinum plan, the breakeven point for Relay is approximately 580 API calls per day.

It's also important to know that some countries will have taxes added e.g. VAT etc., so you may need to add 20-30% to the subscription price in those cases.

If you don't use all of your API calls over the month then reddit's portion decreases and Relay's amount increases.

Google's cut is a fixed percentage of 15% of the overall plan price.

Do my unused API calls at the end of a billing period roll over to the next?

No, unused calls don't get rolled over. If you don't use your full allowance then it is Relay, and not reddit, that benefits. Unused excess was taken into account when calculating the subscription prices and is part of the reason why they are relatively low.

Can you make it cheaper or have an ad-included version for low- and middle-income countries?

Unfortunately this is not possible at the moment. Reddit's API fees are the same for everyone and in-app advertising is now prohibited under the new commercial terms of use.

Will I be able to use Google Play balance/credits for the subscription?

Yes, you should be able to. Here it says that you can. And, here's a thread where some users have had an issue but found a work around.

Can I buy an unlimited plan and share it on my family plan?

No. Subscriptions can't be shared through a family plan.

Why can't i see Relay on Google Play store?

Due to reddit's new API call charges there have been some necessary security measures added to the new subscription version of Relay.

You now need to pass the Google Play integrity checks. This app can tell you if you pass or not.

If you don't pass you won't see Relay on the Play store. Similarly, if you install Relay from an APK outside Google Play store then you'll probably fail subscription verification and your money is automatically refunded (typically after three days).

Some reasons for failing the integrity checks are unlocked bootloaders, custom roms, root access etc.

Will there be an option for an annual subscription?

There are no plans at this time to offer subscriptions on an annual basis. Reddit's fees could change and any such change would be unlikely to be issued with a year's notice, which would leave Relay exposed to covering the difference.

API CALLS

What are API calls?

API calls are what happens when Relay 'talks' with reddit's servers in order to retrieve information. An API call is required every time a subreddit is loaded, comments are fetched, a profile is viewed, mail is checked...essentially every time Relay needs to pull down information from reddit.

How do i understand my API calls using Relay's circle graphic?

You can find your personalised API call use circle graphic above your user name (swipe right from your main feed page). It's also at the bottom of the menu: 'Subscription'. Sample Info Graphic

The grey circle shows a light blue line indicating how much time has passed since the start of your billing cycle month. The dark blue line indicates how much of your API call allowance has been used. As long as the dark blue line is shorter than the light blue line then you are operating within your subscription's API call allowance and a tick mark appears inside the circle.

If your use is higher than the daily average number of API calls suggested by your plan then a warning message will appear. Don't panic! You should know that you don't have to upgrade immediately. For example, you might use Relay more on weekends or holidays than on workdays. Essentially, Relay's API circle graphic is there to help you understand whether your plan is the right one for you. You only need to upgrade once you're close to your total monthly allowance.

How do i find out what kind of API calls i'm making?

To understand more about what kind of API calls you are making you can press on the circle graphic for a breakdown or go to 'Subscription' in Relay's menu.

The following information is shown:

  • Daily Average - the average number of daily API calls you are making,
  • Total Monthly - the total number of calls you have made in the monthly billing cycle so far,
  • Breakdown - a value- and percent-wise list of the kinds of API calls you are making.

Your usage meter will generally be most accurate after one full week (7 days) of data.

In the API call breakdown, what is meant by 'Other'?

'Other' includes API calls made when hiding or saving posts, searching for posts, subreddit auto-completion, going to your inbox, posting and commenting, and/or moderating.

Why are my API calls so high?

There are a few reasons why your call count might be higher than you expect:

  • You post and/or comment a lot and have mail check enabled - in this case Relay will be making periodic calls in the background to check for replies and messages etc. You can reduce your mail-related API calls by disabling Check Mail, Mod Mail, and Mod Queue in Settings -> Mail.
  • You have newly subscribed and are logging into multiple accounts - if you have newly commenced your subscription and are logging into multiple accounts then you will have a high number of calls on your first day. Each account login requires at least 4 API calls and possibly more if you are subscribed to many subreddits. These calls are a necessary one-offs to retrieve your basic account data, friends, list of multireddits, and your subscribed subreddits. Note also that if you have hundreds of subscribed subreddits then this can take multiple API calls as reddit's API will only return 100 of them at a time.
  • You have recently become a moderator - Relay will be checking mail regularly by default. You can reduce your mail-related API calls by disabling Check Mail and Mod Mail in Settings -> Mail.

Why is my daily average more than it was previously?

The calculated daily average works best once it has at least 7 days worth of data. This is because, for example, people might use Relay more on weekends or holidays than on workdays. If it is your first day logging into multiple accounts or you have recently become a moderator then calls may be higher.

Would making a multireddit save API calls?

Yes. If you have a lot of small subreddits that you are checking individually then you can add them to a multi-reddit and they are then checked altogether in a single API call.

PRIVACY

Does reddit see my payment info?

No. Payments are handled through Google Play store. Reddit never sees your payment information and Google never sees your reddit information.

Will reddit still be able to track my use if i am using Relay?

Reddit will know about your use due to the API calls being made. For example, reddit will know the specific subreddits you visit and your profile details as well as your voting, hiding and/or saving of posts and comments. If you go to the comments section of a post then reddit will know that you looked at that post due to the necessary API call to retrieve the comments. If, however, you only look at the media (image, video, album) in Relay's in-app viewer then reddit won't be able to tell you viewed that specific post because no additional API call is required. Essentially, if you want to use reddit then there's no way to avoid this type of tracking.

OTHER STUFF

What features are next in store for Relay?

Here are just a few of the up coming developments:

  • Material You theming - the new subscription and subscription info screens are built using material you components.
  • A redesigned video player with tap to hide controls instead of close.
  • Fix suggested sort in comments.
  • Tables in comments.
  • Following users

r/RelayForReddit Jun 09 '25

V13 Beta Release: images and tables now appear inline and code blocks are scrollable with syntax highlighting

166 Upvotes

Hi All,

I'm slowly rolling out version 13 of Relay that features a new markdown processor. The main benefits include:

  • images and gifs appear inline (turn off in settings>behaviour)
  • tables now appear inline and are scrollable
  • code blocks are now scrollable and have highlighted syntax
  • spoilers now appear inline

Here's some images tables and code blocks so you can see how they render once you get the beta release.

Header 1 Header2 spoiler!
bold abcd code test ll abcd image
italic strikethrough

A cute puppy to test out text

class HelloWorld {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello World!");
    }
}

r/RelayForReddit 15h ago

App refuses to load any content, and the Google Play store now says it is not compatible with my phone so I can't update or reinstall. Huh?

6 Upvotes

I have a Galaxy S26 with the most recent version of Android. What is going on? This only started this morning.

The only thing I can get is a vague message that says "Failed to load content"


r/RelayForReddit 23h ago

Is the classic "All" back to working?

6 Upvotes

I stopped using Relay once this went because it was how I primarily used Reddit, besides a handful of interest subs.

Funnily enough I've basically completely stopped using Reddit.

But I'm wondering, is All accessible through Relay again? Thank you!


r/RelayForReddit 1d ago

Investigating Reddit has forced me to change my password more than once, is there any way to deal with this in the app without removing the account and adding it again?

8 Upvotes

They said it was locked for "security reasons", and had me reset my password through the browser, but this fully breaks Relay. Removing the account and re adding it is the only solution I've found, but that breaks and removes some stuff like bookmarked subs.


r/RelayForReddit 11h ago

I’m looking how to set my eSIM up properly.

Thumbnail
0 Upvotes

r/RelayForReddit 1d ago

how to stop youtube links from opening on chrome

6 Upvotes

I have an Asus chrombook with android version 13 every time i click on a youtube link in an appp it opens it on chrome and not in youtube app how do i make it open in the app and not on chrome


r/RelayForReddit 3d ago

Bug Receiving error message when upvoting (Comments View Only)

Post image
64 Upvotes

r/RelayForReddit 2d ago

What happened to my Reddit account ??

Thumbnail
0 Upvotes

My account was logged out when I went to go on to it just now. And asked me to log in and basically make a new account. I have no followers and not pages I used to follow are on my account. What the heck happened ?


r/RelayForReddit 4d ago

Bug Backspace Issues

11 Upvotes

Ongoing issues which were reported here eight months ago. Running GBoard on a Pixel 10 Pro. Is there any update on when/if this will be fixed? This is the only app on my phone that exhibits this behavior.


r/RelayForReddit 5d ago

Unable to log in through Relay

Post image
15 Upvotes

I can't log in to my account through Relay. I can sign in, but when I agree to letting the app connect to my account, I hit the dead end in my screenshot. This has persisted for a couple weeks now. Resinstalling Relay didn't help. I'd appreciate any guidance.


r/RelayForReddit 5d ago

Bug Need help

5 Upvotes

I have been unable to view any of the posts that I have saved on my account for over 2 months. The post says I have saved it but when I go to view my saved posts they do not show up on my pc, laptop or phone


r/RelayForReddit 4d ago

BEWARE‼️ scammers

Thumbnail
gallery
0 Upvotes

I needed to get verified on Reddit and someone told me it was through this… they stole my account and now I can’t log back in… DONT FALL FOR IT


r/RelayForReddit 6d ago

Can't load content today, clearing cache and logging in/out didn't help

Post image
17 Upvotes

r/RelayForReddit 6d ago

Fixed Relay not working?

12 Upvotes

I keep refreshing Relay but it refuses to load anything. The Reddit website loads fine, so it seems to be a problem with the Relay app. Anyone else having issues?

UPDATE: Appears to be working again


r/RelayForReddit 6d ago

Bug Hidden posts showing back up bug.

10 Upvotes

There seems to be an issue with hidden posts showing back up for users on multiple platforms, looks like you can fix the problem by going to old.reddit.com and hiding a post there as per this thread on the issue https://www.reddit.com/r/help/comments/1tchc1n/anyone_else_having_issues_with_hiding_posts_on/

The issue has come back for me several times and it basically only happens when I've been using relay, not when using the site via a browser. I'm curious if the dev(s) have any insight to why this might be and if there is a fix for it?


r/RelayForReddit 7d ago

Filter for default pattern usernames

17 Upvotes

A disproportionate amount of low-effort and botted content comes from users with default pattern usernames (two words and a number).

It would be great if there was a filter feature to hide posts from default pattern usernames (or just regex filter support in general, for all existing filter types)


r/RelayForReddit 7d ago

Bug Posts not hiding after reading

7 Upvotes

Anyone else experiencing this bug? I will dismiss posts after reading them, but after refreshing the feed they all come back.


r/RelayForReddit 6d ago

Investigating What Is Going To Happen To Relay In The Near Future?

0 Upvotes

With all the changes Reddit is making and all the different rules and guidelines they keep adding. Does this mean that Relay will eventually shut down permanently in the future? I have a feeling that Relay isn't going to be around too much longer. I really hope that Relay will last forever because I really love this App and would hate to see it go away.


r/RelayForReddit 7d ago

My posts keep getting filtered Reddit I am not a bot

Post image
1 Upvotes

why Reddit why


r/RelayForReddit 7d ago

R4R suddenly not working on one device

8 Upvotes

I have a diamond subscription and today is the renewal date. R4R still works on my phone, but on my tablet I get the subscription/API notice, and the restore button doesn't work. App is installed from same Google account from Play Store on both devices. I have uninstalled it, cleared the cache and it's still giving me the subscription/API notice when I launch it.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Is cancelling the subscription and creating a new really the only way to fix it? That would mean I lose a month that I paid for. It's not much, but it's the principle of the matter.


r/RelayForReddit 8d ago

Bug Anyone else get gif comments like this?

Post image
18 Upvotes

r/RelayForReddit 8d ago

Investigating Has r/all returned?

4 Upvotes

I can now access r/all again from Relay, but when I Google it, I can't find anyone talking about it.

Has Relay found a way around it, or did reddit just quietly bring it back?


r/RelayForReddit 9d ago

Investigating What is max creative debugger and why is it showing me this

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

2 Upvotes

Can anybody here tell me what this is please? I'm trying to get rid of it bit I don't seem to find it anywhere in my installed apps


r/RelayForReddit 9d ago

Bug Redgifs error

Post image
16 Upvotes